Digital Only Subscription
Read the digital e-Edition of The Standard-Speaker on your PC or mobile device, and have 24/7 access to breaking news, local sports, contests, and more at standardspeaker.com or on our mobile apps.

Digital Services
Have news alerts sent to your mobile device or email, read the e-Edition, sign up for daily newsletters, activate your all access, enter contests, take quizzes, download our mobile apps and see the latest e-circulars.

An estimated $10 million project that will upgrade traffic signals at five intersections and add a turning lane along parts of Airport Beltway could be completed by fall 2014, a project manager from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said.

Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce hosted an informational meeting Wednesday to keep property owners within the nearly 2.4 mile project site appraised of the construction schedule and timeline, which will widen the roadway and add a center turning lane between the Laurel Mall entrance and Hess Road, and add a turning lane along another portion of the highway that extends from Hess Road to state Route 309, said Michael Bernetski, a construction project manager with PennDOT.

Crews will install new traffic signals at the Airport Beltway intersections with Old Airport Road and Hollywood Boulevard and upgrade existing signals at state Route 93 and at the entrances to the mall and Walmart, Bernetski said.

Drainage improvements are under way along the south side of the highway, but Bernetski said motorists could expect roadwork to begin near the end of March. Completion is tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2014, but Bernetski said the deadline hinges on utility work that must first be completed by PPL, UGI and Hazleton City Authority.

"Utility work dictates our own schedule," he said. "It must be done before contractors can proceed."

Both Bernetski and a representative from Barletta Materials and Construction fielded a handful of questions from about a dozen property owners and Hazle Township officials who attended Wednesday's half-hour forum.

Questions mostly pertained to how the project would impact business along the construction site, as whether the work scope would address drainage problems along the highway.

Businesses and motorists should expect minimal inconveniences, Bernetski said. PennDOT would work to ensure driveways would remain open for the duration of the project and plan to have lanes of travel open in each direction.

Culvert boxes will be installed near All-Phase Electric Supply and along Old Airport Road and at least two new fire hydrants will be installed along the highway, Bernetski said.

The new traffic signal at Hollywood Boulevard will be combined with improvements planned for the eastern entrance to Walmart that will enable motorists traveling in either direction to access that store entrance.

Hazle Township Fire Chief Scott Kostician asked Bernetski to check whether the new traffic signals will be equipped with either a back-up power source or a connection for a generator in the event of a power failure.

Chamber President Donna Palermo said Wednesday's forum was arranged in an effort to keep business owners aware of what they can expect as the project moves forward.

New traffic signals planned for the highway - and upgrades to existing signals - should improve safety, particularly at its intersection with Old Airport Road, she said.

"The concern is getting that light (installed) first," she said. "I was told they will try and get in the first phase of the project."

Kostician estimates that between eight and 10 fatal accidents have occurred along Airport Beltway in the past six years, with a number of other accidents that resulted in serious injuries near the mall and Walmart entrances.

Road improvements near the mall and the two new traffic signals should cut back on motorists' ability to accelerate in that area and result in safer driving conditions, he said.

"They will get some acceleration but people aren't going to see the speeds as they do now," Kostician said.

The construction project has been in the works for years, but the latest plans are a downscaled version of a project that would have converted Airport Beltway to a four-lane road with a turning lane.

sgalski@standardspeaker.com

We welcome user discussion on our site, under the following guidelines:

To comment you must first create a profile and sign-in with a verified DISQUS account or social network ID. Sign up here.

Comments in violation of the rules will be denied, and repeat violators will be banned. Please help police the community by flagging offensive comments for our moderators to review. By posting a comment, you agree to our full terms and conditions. Click here to read terms and conditions.